Leveling mechanism for harvesters



A ril 17, 1956 H. D. WITZEL 2,742,293

LEVELING MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS Original Filed April 10, 1951 5 heet l lllllllllll IIIHIIIIH mvsn'roa JiamerZZ ZUiZzeZ ATTORN EYS A ril 17, 1956 Original Filed April 10. 1951 WITZEL LEVELING MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Hamel-P Z'Qz'fizel April 17, 1956 H. D. WlTZ EL 2,742,298

LEVELING MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS Original Filed April 10, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 F mvsmon i ffomerll ZZZzlZzcl ATTORNEYS April 17, 1956 H. D. WITZEL LEVELING MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS Original Filed April 10, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR fiamerfl ZU/L'Zzel BY M M I ATTORNEYS LEVELING MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS Original Filed April 10, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mvsrnon JiomerD. ZQzlZzeZ ATTORNEYS United, States Patent 7 p tion on Header Mount for Side Hill Harvesters, Serial N0.v 220,303, filed April 10, 1951, now Patent N0.

2,656,668, dated October 27, 1953.

. In a harvester of this type, it is essential that the body ofjthe harvester, in .which the threshing mechanism is mounted, ,shall be maintained on a level transversely, regardless of the slope of the hill-which the harvester may be traversing.

The harvester bodyis, of course, mounted on supporting wheels, and the principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel means for adjusting the wheels in opposition as the slope of the side hill may require, and to insure the same opposed movement of both wheels so as to maintain-the body of the harvester on a definite transverse horizontal level.

The harvester includes front and rear wheels in pairs, the abovementioned adjusting means being manually controlledand applied to the front wheels; and another object of the invention isto somount the rear wheels that they will automatically accommodate themselves to the transverse slopeiwithout attention as the harvester traverses the hill so that the harvester body will be maintained levelwithout'a'ny twisting strains being imparted thereto; l

t It is'a further object toprovidea practical body leveling device for a harvester, which structure will be'exceedingly efiective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a persusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken outand section, of aside hill harvester, embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary. elevation, partly broken away and in section.

Fig. 3 is a transverse view, with various parts omitted, and looking forwardly, substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; the header being in a horizontal position and the parts of the control mechanismbeing in their corresponding positions.

Fig. 4 is a similar view, but shows the header as tilted so as to remain parallel to a side hill.

Fig. 5 is a reduced-scale rear end elevation of the harvester showing the rear wheel mount.

Fig. 6 is a diagram of the reeving of the control cable mechanism,

Fig. 7 is a diagram of the hydraulic header-spout control system.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the harvester comprises an elongated body, indicated generally at 1, which is sup- :ported at the front by transversely spaced wheels 2 and 3,

and at the rear by transversely spaced wheels 4 and 5.

The body 1 encloses the threshing and separating mech- 1 anism of the harvester asusual and as indicated in the aforementioned patent, and a header unit, indicated gen-' 2,742,298 Patented Apr. 17', 1956 erally at 6, and constructed as in said patent, projects forwardly from "the body. The header unit includes a rearwardly projecting spout 7 which is swivelly mounted on a disc and flange member 8 which is mounted for rotation about a longitudinal horizontal axis on a mount ing ring 9 fixed on the front end of body 1. Hydraulic cylinder units 10 are connected between the member 8 and the spout 7 of the header unit to control the tilt thereof in a longitudinal vertical plane. i p

The rear wheels 4 and 5' are journaled in connection with opposite ends of a parallel linkage axle assembly A.'

This assembly comprises upper and lower transverse parallel arms 11 and 12, respectively, which are pivoted centrally between their ends on a bracket 13 depending from the harvester body 1 centrally of its width, as shown in Fig. '5. At their ends, arms 11 and 12 are pivoted on the spindle mounts 14 and 15 of the Wheels 4 and 5,1

respectively.

The front wheels 2 and 3 are particularly mounted and controlled by the following structure:

Secured in connection with the underside of body 1, rearwardly of saidwheels, is a cross member in the form of a tube 16. Journal, sleeves 17 and 18 are turnableon tube 16 and are rigid with forwardly projecting radial housing-forming arms 19 and 20 on the forward end" of which the wheels 2 and 3, respectively, are mounted.

Each wheel is driven from a driven shaft 21 within tube 16 by suitable means such as a chain drive 22 within the: i 7 corresponding housing so that the wheels 2 and 3 may; be adjusted vertically and relative to each other without interfering with the driving thereof.

Said wheels 2 and 3 areadjusted up or down in opposition, so as to maintain the body 1 perpendicular whenthe harvester is traversing aside hill, by the following means:

of cylinders 23 and 24, respectively, are pivotally connected on a cross shaft 28 fixed on top of the body 1.

The power cylinders 23 and 24 are actuated in opposition'so that one extends while the other contracts, by means of any suitable control system, such as that shown diagrammatically, in Fig. 7, and which includes a suitable conduit arrangement interposed in which is a four way regulating valve 29. This valve is positioned so as to be accessible to the operator of the harvester stationed on an overhead platform 30 mounted on the harvester at the front end of the body.

In order to positively prevent other than equal vertical adjustment of the wheels in opposition, the following cable system is provided:

A longitudinal stub spindle 31 is fixed on, and projects forwardly from, a cross member 32 secured under the forward end of the body ahead of the lower end of the body ahead of the lower end of the cylinders 23 and 24, as shown in Fig. 2; the spindle being centrally disposed between the housings 19 and 20, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A pulley 33 is turnably mounted on the spindle 31 by means of a hub 34, and a cable 35 is anchored centrally of its ends on said pulley, as shown at 36 in Fig. 6. From the anchor 36 the opposite runs 37 and 38 of the cable turn about the pulley 33 in opposite directions, leaving the pulley at the bottom and initially extending laterally therefrom.

One run 37 is then diverted rearwardly about a vertical axis sheave 39. Rearwardly of sheave 39 said cable run 37 turns upwardly under a transverse-axis sheave 40. Similarly, the other run 38 is diverted rearwardly v by -a vertical axissheave Aland then upwardlyby a'transverse axis sheave 42.

Both pairs of sheaves are mounted in connection with the cross member 32 by a suitable bracket arrangement 43 as shown in Fig. ,2. Above the-sheaves 4.0;and 42, the cable runs 37 and 38 engage .and aretanchoreid at their upper endto the upper end of upstandingarcuate cable guide shoes 44 and 45, respectively, and which are socured to corresponding housings 19 and20 on-thelaterally inner side thereof. These guide shoes are of forwardly opening channel shape and .are.;concentric to the axis of vertical swinging adjustmentofthe housings 19 and 20.- The purpose of these shoesis to maintain, at all times, the same point ofpull ,on'the cable runs relative to the sheaves 40 and 42.

With this arrangement, it willbe recognized thatthe front wheels are thus positively moved in opposite directions and to thesame extent as the slope of the hill side :may require to maintain the housing perpendicular. The mounting of the rear wheels,'previously-described, cause the same to automatically accommodate themselves to the ground as the'front wheels are adjusted.

The rotation of the sheave 33 is also employed to turn the header 'unit :6 so that the sickle bar of the header unit will remain parallel to the ground, as shown in Figs. 3 and4, and as fully set forth in said Patent No. 2,656,668.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced-such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail maybe resorted to as-do notform a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired: 5

' 1. 'In a-sidehillharvesterhaving a body, and a pair of transversely spaced body-supporting front wheels adjustable vertically in opposition; a pair of rear body-supporting wheels, and means between the body and said rear wheels mounting the same for automatic vertical adjust- 'ment in oppositionrelative' to each other as the front wheels are adjusted; said last named means comprising a pair of vertically spaced parallel transversely extending arms, means pivotally mounting the arms centrally of their ends on the body, wheel-spindle supporting brackets, and vertically spaced pivotal connections between the arms at their outer end and the brackets.

2. In a sidehi'll-harvester-having a body, a pairoftransversely spacedbodyesupporting front wheels, a ci oss member mounted onand under the body; rearwardly of the axes of the wheels, substantially horizontal .-.arms turnable on the member and on which the wheels .are mounted, and powermeans betweenthe body andarms to swing the'latter up and down in oppositionpapulley mounted on the body between'the wheels and .with-its-axis lengthwise of the harvester and disposed ahead of the cross member, a cable passing about the pulley and secured centrally of its ends thereon, the cable leaving the pulley in opposite directions as:laterally.-extending runs, fixed direction-changing pulleys mounted todirect the runs rcarwardlyadjacentthe inner'face of the arms, other fixed directionrchanging pulleys mounted'to direct the rear end of the rearwardlyv directed portion of the runsin an upward direction, .and arcuate cable-guiding members concentric with the :axis of turning of the arms, ,fixed on thearms rearwardly of butadjacentthe last named pulleys; the cable runs rearwardly of the last-named pulleys engaging said members in guided relation andbeing anchored thereonat one end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

